intermediate

CI/CD tools

Compare hosted CI, integrated Git platforms, self-hosted automation, and GitOps deployment controllers.

CI/CD tool interviews compare where automation runs relative to your Git host and runtime: integrated GitHub Actions, all-in-one GitLab CI, portable CircleCI, flexible self-hosted Jenkins, and GitOps-oriented Argo CD for Kubernetes deploy.

Subtopics: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Jenkins, Argo CD.

On interviews: pick a tool for GitHub PR checks with protected environments; explain when Argo CD complements but does not replace build CI.

Common pitfalls: treating GitOps as fixing bad manifests; Jenkins plugin debt; third-party actions without pinning.

The trade-off is platform integration versus portability and operational ownership.

Checklist:

Match tool to Git host and deploy target.
Separate build CI from deploy reconciliation when using GitOps.
Review third-party actions, orbs, and plugins.
Pin versions and limit credentials.